posted on 2009-03-31, 13:40authored byKeith Case, Murray Sinclair, A.M. Abdul-Rani
Mismatches refer to incompatibilities, inappropriateness, unsuitabilities or inconsistencies
in machine operators’ actions which, if not addressed, would lead to errors. A fuller understanding
of the rate at which mismatches occur and their causes would allow human aspects to be given
proper consideration alongside hardware and technological issues in the design of new working
environments, machines and tasks. This research highlights these human aspects of machining by
examining mismatches in relation to various human characteristics.
The human task–mismatch matching method was developed and applied in manual turning
operations using experimental and questionnaire techniques on groups of 16 skilled and 12 unskilled
operators. The skilled subjects were drawn from local industry and university technical staff.
Unskilled subjects were engineering students, all of whom had some familiarity with machining
through periods of industrial placement. Statistically significant relationships were established
between mismatches and many of the human characteristics studied (skill, age, work experience,
self-confidence and trust) when considering all the subjects as a single group, but for skilled
operators alone, the only significant relationship was between self-confidence and trust.
As a general conclusion, it can be confirmed that studying operators in their own workplace
provides invaluable information for the design and operation of future workplaces, but that the
relationships between performance and human characteristics remain difficult to establish formally.
History
School
Mechanical, Electrical and Manufacturing Engineering
Citation
CASE, K., SINCLAIR, M. and ABDUL-RANI, A.M., 1999. An experimental investigation of human mismatches in machining. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part B: Journal of Engineering Manufacture, 213 (2), pp. 197-201.